You, dear reader, are probably one of the many thousands of NOLSies who have digested NOLS Cookery, a detailed presentation of the school’s bulk rationing that feeds students on backcountry expeditions across the globe. The bulk rationing system, in case you sit unaware, provides every cook group (usually 2-4 participants) with a wide selection of bulk foods and spices. Each group decides what to cook at each meal with the help of NOLS Cookery and knowledgeable peers or instructors. There are no set menus on a NOLS course, and you learn the art of cooking in the field.

This system works wonderfully well for large groups on multi-week expeditions, but smaller groups going out for shorter lengths of time—five days or less—might want to consider menu planning instead. With the menu planning system, all meals are determined in advance, and the food purchased and packed accordingly. So we’ve written NOLS Backcountry Cooking: Creative Menu Planning for Short Trips to answer this question: “How do I plan food for a short trip with a few friends and still maintain the NOLS culinary experience?”

One of our suggestions for cooking creatively in the backcountry, and one that keeps you from taking dehydrated, processed food for shorter trips, is to pick one or two of your favorite frontcountry recipes and turn them into a meal-in-a-bag. That is, carry all the ingredients for a specific meal in one large plastic bag. If all the ingredients are not cooked at the same time, use smaller bags to separate the ingredients within the large bag. With a little prep and planning at home, you can have a fresh, delicious dinner in the backcountry. Let us demonstrate with this yummy smoked salmon pasta recipe.

Pack margarine separately in a small container, ready for this and other uses. (5)

Voila! A meal-in-a-bag!

Other delicious recipes from the original NOLS Cookery that lend themselves to effective meal-in-a-bag makeovers:

Breakfast Couscous

Donna’s Hash Brown Fritters

Donna Orr’s Gado-Gado Spaghetti

Sweet and Sour Rice

Tabouli Salad

Cheese Bombs

Spooz-Ole

Vegetarian Meatballs

The new NOLS Backcountry Cooking: Creative Menu Planning for Short Trips is sure to keep you cooking creatively in the backcountry when bulk rationing just isn’t as convenient. Just say no to dehydrated, costly, processed camping.

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